I'm a sucker for cool places to shop. When I first started traveling to NYC I would take a day and visit all my favorite stores just to get a "fix". McKenzie-Childs, ABC Carpet & Home, The Polo Mansion on Madison and Fellisimo were all on the list of places that just....pardon the farm expression....cranked my tractor. I would often buy a $3 or $4 trinket just so I could leave with a bag. I almost teared up the first time I walked into Dean & Deluca in Soho and I've been known to whistle & skip when I walk into a Whole Foods.
Last Saturday I visited the Brattleboro, VT Farmer's Market- about 45 minutes from here. Man-oh-man- did I hit the cool factor jackpot! I've been to lots of farmer's markets before...ho hum...all the same thing....get your green beans & corn and mosey along your merry way. This place was glorious....bri
mming with sound and color and vibrant healthy happy people who were all acting as though there was a party going on! There were booths with organic veggies and fruits as well as artisan breads and cheeses, local wines, chutneys and jams. There were musicians and artists there displaying jewelry, pottery and other handcrafts. There were circus activities and a giant sandbox for the kids and wonderful booths of ethnic foods as well as pastries, cookies, sweet breads, coffees & teas. Everything was sourced/grown/cooked/or made by or from local vendors....within 2 counties away- it's in the rules! Oh, and it's also in the rules that there is no styrofoam allowed and food vendors must use "real" utensils instead of plastic....everything I saw used there could be recycled....and there were recycling bins handy to put it in.
mming with sound and color and vibrant healthy happy people who were all acting as though there was a party going on! There were booths with organic veggies and fruits as well as artisan breads and cheeses, local wines, chutneys and jams. There were musicians and artists there displaying jewelry, pottery and other handcrafts. There were circus activities and a giant sandbox for the kids and wonderful booths of ethnic foods as well as pastries, cookies, sweet breads, coffees & teas. Everything was sourced/grown/cooked/or made by or from local vendors....within 2 counties away- it's in the rules! Oh, and it's also in the rules that there is no styrofoam allowed and food vendors must use "real" utensils instead of plastic....everything I saw used there could be recycled....and there were recycling bins handy to put it in.
This, I thought to myself while standing in line for some delicious food from 2 friendly West-African ladies, is what consumerism should look like. A cooperative effort where folks in a community support their local vendors, maintain their integrity and have a great time doing it! This is the picture of "organic" I've been looking for....forget the organic potato chips, cereal & crackers. These are organic people....and believe me, I'm standing in line to drink that Kool-Aid (organic of course.)
No comments:
Post a Comment